


the things that hurt us

by youminalottome



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Angst, Anime, Bullying, F/M, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Manga, Reader-Insert, Romance, Self-Harm, Soulmate AU, Teen Romance, Verbal Abuse, domestic abuse, haikyuu!! - Freeform, how many tags do i need?? not a lot hopefully, kageyama tobio/reader - Freeform, the whole fucking volleyball team is here tbh, tsukishima kei/reader - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-07-21
Updated: 2015-07-21
Packaged: 2018-04-10 09:32:01
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 6,133
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4386686
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/youminalottome/pseuds/youminalottome
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>&&. suddenly you realize that you're hurting more than one person. it hadn't sunk in before, but now that it has, you start hating yourself more than you had before.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. hurt you

**Author's Note:**

> this was originally posted on my dA (minakurosaki) and so yeah, now it's kind of...here? tell me if ya'll like it uvu!! there'll be sensitive material pertaining to self harm, bullying and verbal abuse. please proceed with catiuon. if you can't handle this sort of thing i would suggest not reading it. thank you!!

\--  
  
**_Soulmate AU where whenever you get hurt, your soulmate gets hurt in the same place with the same pain. The only exception, is that if your soulmate dies, you will not. (and vice versa.)  
_**  
\--  
  
_As you sat in your desk, tears streaming down your face as you looked at the now destroyed picture you had drawn, which had been so viciously torn apart by some child whose name you didn't know the name of. You had worked so **hard**  on it, and it was all reduced to nothing._  
  
" _Here you go, [L/N]."  
  
A six year old boy with blue eyes and raven hair held out the glue bottle to you for you to take, as confusion crossed your face. You didn't know this boy, or his name, so you just kind of sat there.  
  
"What's this for?"  
_  
\--  
  
All Kageyama knew was that his soulmate was very clumsy. He would constantly wake up with new bruises that he  _knew_  he didn't get from volleyball, or with new cuts that constantly appeared near his forehead, as if he had been walking into lockers or shards of glass all his life. It confused him, but it also...worried him. Why were they so clumsy? Sometimes he wished he could do something about it---because every time he found new wound, they seemed to get worse.  
  
All the constant teasings from his team wasn't the best either. While it was all in good faith, he knew, it always felt like they were  _mocking_  the person he was destined to be with.  
  
A searing pain brought him back to reality, as he held a hand to his head, stumbling back a few steps, before collapsing to the ground.   
  
"Kageyama ** _!_** " Daichi was the first one to notice (even though it was hard to tell, almost everyone looked at the same time) as the whole group surrounded the tall setter. "Are you okay _?_ "  
  
The captain removed the younger boy's hand from said boy's head, letting out a hiss as he saw the blood. "There's a cut on your head, Kageyama."  
  
He sighed, irritation in his eyes as he looked at his own hand. "Yeah, I can see that," the air hit the open wound, which had to be at least an inch or two long, "and I can  _feel_  it."  
  
Sugawara, who was next to Daichi, helped the younger setter up to his feet, pulling him up onto the stage, Kiyoko running over with a first aid kit in hand, Takeda and Keishin now following---the two having took a trip to the teacher's lounge for a moment to grab some paperwork.   
  
"Kageyama! What did you do _?_ " The blonde coach walked over, looking him over, as the boy sighed.  
  
"It wasn't my fault," he mumbled under his breath, wincing as the lady manager dressed his wound tightly. "T'Was my soulmate." It always was, though. There had been no other reason for him "magically" getting a cut other than that.   
  
A snicker came from across the gym, as Kei held a hand to his mouth, trying to contain his laughter. "I wonder if the King can manage his soulmate being such a klutz," he snickered, as Yamaguchi held a cheeky grin on his face.  
  
"Shut it, Tsukishima _!_ " He snapped, as Kiyoko tried to make sure he was okay, somewhat messing up on his bandaging as he struggled to yell at Tsukishima for making fun of his soulmate.  
  
"Yeah, you wanna fight, punk?" Tanaka gave the middle blocker a "scary" look, which only made him snicker more, before waving it off.  
  
"Stay out for the rest of practice, Kageyama." He looked down from the stage and clenched his hand tightly, biting his lip. It had been bad, but never enough to take him out of  _practice_.   
  
"I can still pla-"  
  
"Kageyama."  
  
He snapped to the sound of his name, only to find out that it was the little ray of sunshine known as Hinata. "Stay out of practice, and get better. That way... We can beat anyone." The firmness and lack of naivety in his statement made the fifteen year old straighten up as he nodded.   
  
"Take the day off. You need it," Takeda said cheerfully, and the boy nodded, hopping off the stage, and grabbing his bag before giving a small wave to the entire gym, before slipping out the door.  
  
\--  
  
Fuck _!_  
  
Sometimes you wish that they'd take it easier on you, and shoving you into a locker  _headfirst_  wasn't exactly the nicest thing.  
  
You glanced up at the girl, feeling something wet trickle down down to your eyebrow, as the the open air touched your new injury, and you hissed in pain.   
  
"Do you have something to say, hm, [Name]?" She sneered down at your crumpled form, running a hand through her wavy, auburn locks. "Wait, I don't care. Just..." She snickered down at your form, and Vanelope rolled her eyes. "God, you're so pathetic, you kind of make me want to punch myself in the face."   
  
You could hear the click clack of her heels as she walked away, down the halls of Karasuno, and you groaned, letting your head hit the back of the lockers lightly. Taking the sleeve of your uniform, you used it to wipe around the cut, but not the cut directly, before shuffling up to your locker.  
  
"Gotta get a bandaid," you mumbled, spinning the combination into your locker and undoing it, grabbing the first aid, and subsequently a latex band aid. A  _large_  one. You undid the wrapping, and looking in the small magnetic mirror that was attached to door, once again wincing at how large it was. Taking an alcohol wipe, you undid it, and let out a choke at the stinging and dull sensation. Soon after, you placed the band aid on the cut.  
  
You grabbed your shoes and quickly, slipped them on, glancing at your digital watch. 6:00 PM. Shit, shit, shit  _shit_.  
  
Practically stumbling out the school known as Karasuno, you sprinted away from the school, trying not to fall flat on your face. Not even looking where you were going, you pushed past someone who was a couple of inches taller than you, and you felt your shoulder dig into his, as both you fell to the ground. A sharp pain went up your opposite shoulder, and you shuddered, not expecting it.  
  
But there wasn't time to even ponder it.  
  
"I-I-I'm so sorry," you mumbled, your hair falling forward, covering your face as you uneasily popped back up to your feet, glancing at the young man. A blush crossed your face when you realized how cute he was, and you immediately recognized him as Tobio Kageyama. You two had gone to the same middle school, Kitagawa Daiichi; and the two of you had never really talked. You didn't play sports, or, on a team, necessarily, so you never really had a reason. But you were on track and field, and you were pretty damn good. While in high school, you hadn't befriended him, you didn't particularly mind; instead befriending a blonde asshole and a cute boy with freckles in your class, who also happened to be in the volleyball club. Through them, you had found out that the genius setter had also joined. Although you had always meant to talk to him, you never really got around to him. He was...scary. He reminded you a lot of your mother.  
  
In a very,  _ **very** , _bad way.  
  
Pivoting sharply on the heels of your feet, you sprinted away towards your house, not wanting to get in any more trouble with your mother then you already had.   
  
A sigh left your pale pink lips as you saw your house appear in your eyes. You crammed the key into the lock, and unlocked it, slamming the door behind you unintelligently, and you immediately regretted your decision.   
  
The painful words cut into your skin as spit flew from your mother's mouth as she screamed and yelled about pointless things you couldn't even keep track of. There were tears down your cheeks when she was done, and she had told you to 'fuck off to your room already', and had slammed the door to her own room.   
  
\--  
  
Tobio's dark blue eyes shot open in the darkness, sharp pain on his left forearm being the thing to wake him up. Glancing at his alarm clock, the green LED lights shone a bright 1:30 AM as he groaned. Something wet was felt, and he hissed at the pain, feeling the blanket covering him touch his arms. What the hell was going on anyways?  
  
Swinging his legs over his bed and shuffling over to the light switch, he switched it on lazily, rubbing the sleep out of his eyes with his right hand. He faced his left forearm up so he could see what exactly was going on, and his heart dropped to his stomach. Horizontal cuts littered his wrist, and blood poured profusely from them, as he let out a small whimper.  
  
"No, no, no, no, don't hurt yourself, don't hurt yourself _!_ " He muttered, his eyes shining with tears. He was an  _idiot_ , but he wasn't a  _moron_. He knew what these cuts meant, oh god, why didn't he realize sooner? What if his soulmate wasn't really clumsy and...? Oh god, oh god, oh god _!!_  The boy tried desperately to pinch together the gaping holes that was carved into his flesh, but it only brought him pain, bringing tears to his eyes. He didn't know what to do, or what to say, or... A haze surrounded him, and he could barely see. "M-MOOOOOOOM!"  
  
The boy screeched this throughout the quiet house as he sank down against the wall near his closet, trying to contain his sobs as he held his left forearm close to his chest. Pounding steps came from down the hall, as his mother burst into the room, frazzled.  
  
"M-My arm, m-my soulmate, t-they-!" Tobio couldn't even complete the sentence as his mother's eyes widened in worry. "T-They're h-hurting themselves a-and," he choked on the words, trying to explain the situation all the while feeling the blood from his arms seep into his pajamas. His mother nodded solemnly, knowing what she had to do, before she left to go get a first aid kid from the bathroom.   
  
\--  
  
When [Name] arrived at school, she had made sure to pull her uniform sleeves down enough to cover the bandages she had used on her wrists. They still stung, and she could feel the cotton sticking from last night.  
  
"Ah, Tsukki _!_ " She called out to the blonde megane, who blinked and said nothing, waiting for the [h/c] girl to catch up to him so they could walk to class together. "How was your sleep last night?"  
  
"That's a stupid question," he said bluntly, "don't try and make conversation. It's too early, and it's a stupid topic."  
  
You winced at his harsh words, and his eyes widened for a moment. Kei had always toned it down around you; you were more fragile then Yamguchi. Sometimes, it slipped his mind. "A-Ah, sorry. I hope you slept well, though," you muttered quietly, fiddling with your bag.  
  
"I did. Thank you." His voice was flat, but it was a step up from before. "I hope you did as well," he mumbled under his breath, a blush crossing his face.  
  
Tucking a strand of hair behind your ear, the two of you entered the classroom, and you grinned. "Of course I did!"  _Not_. What you had failed to notice was the fact that your uniform sleeve had slipped down just slightly, giving way to a small portion of bandages. His golden hues were on it almost immediately---and he had your small hand intertwined with his.   
  
"[Name], what is this?" He slid your sleeves down, a slight bit more, a neutral expression on his face. Fear froze you to your spot, and you could feel your entire body trembling as you shook your head.  
  
"It's n-nothing," you mumbled out, trying to tug your hand away from his, tears budding in your eyes. "It's n-nothing, Tsukki."  
  
"It doesn't look like nothing."  
  
"I said it was  _nothing,_  Kei!" Finally, you ripped your hand from his, ignoring the excruciating pain that shot up your arm as you did so. "Go take a seat." Your voice was void of emotion as you looked at him. "Class is about to start."  
  
"[Name]-"  
  
"Just leave it."  
  
The boy purse his lips, unsure of what to do in this situation. A close friend, was, to put it bluntly, cutting herself. What was the reason? He took his seat next to you, and glanced over at you, who was already diligently taking notes. Your hands were trembling, and you looked like you were about to cry, though, he noted. Argh, he didn't know the answer. He knew you weren't close with your family, but that was about it. What you did after school was a mystery to him, considering the fact that he always had volleyball practice.  
  
He'd have to confront you later.   
  
The class had gone by quickly enough and lunch rolled around, but you had dashed out before Kei could even get a word in.   
  
Into the bathroom, and into one of the stalls, you sat on the toilet seat, making sure your skirt didn't touch the toilet water as you pulled the sleeve of your blazer up. You had been bleeding, it appeared, and it made you shudder. Unwrapping the bandages slowly, you placed it in the metal bin next to you, practically choking on the sob you were trying to hold back. Your entire arm was a mix of red or brown bloodstains, and your arm trembled as you touched it lightly with your right index finger. Even the slightest bit of pressure made you wince, and you let your forearm drop to your side at the fact that if you had not, the tears would have fallen onto it.   
  
Wiping away at your tears with toilet paper, you tried to cease your sobs. All of this was all too much. Vanelope, who was a 24/7 bitch to you all the time, constantly throwing demeaning words towards you, or physically placing her hands on you to throw you into lockers, shove you down countless flights of stairs. Sometimes it wouldn't be that though. Sometimes you wished she would beat the shit out of you instead of tossing out two months worth of notes FOR EACH CLASS into the toilet and flushing it. And then there was your mother, who practically insisted on throwing every flaw you had in your face.  
  
" _I feel sorry for whoever get's you as their pathetic soulmate. They get a stupid ass bitch who can't even defend herself."_  
  
You knew that it wasn't really Kei's fault either; he acted like that towards everyone, but the statement from this morning came out of nowhere, and that just added to the onslaught of your tears.  
  
"I-I'm sorry, I-I'm so sorry _!_ " You didn't know who you were apologizing to, but you knew you  _had_ to. You were a fucking curse, that's what you were.   
  
\---  
  
"Kageyama, I don't want you to play today," Keishin said bluntly, as he pointed to Kageyama's left arm. It had been bandaged up to the elbow, and he didn't bother to hide it. "Those might not be yours, but it's still going to make it impossible to play without hurting you or your soulmate. Sit out for the next couple of days, or at least until those heal correctly."   
  
"Why can't Kageyama play? I need him to toss for me, come on, come o-" Hinata was jumping and whining before his eyes landed on his left arm. It was bandaged up. "Hey, what's wrong with your arm?"  
  
"It's...not me. It's my soulmate," he said quietly.  
  
"Did they break their arm or something?" He asked naively, as Tsukishima and Yamaguchi entered. His golden orbs flickered to the young setter's form, his eyes locking onto what seemed to be the center of attention of everyone.   
  
His bandaged left arm.   
  
And then it clicked.  
  
"It's not that simple, you  _idiot_ **!** " Frustration surged through Kageyama, irritated with how  _stupid_ his teammate was acting. Not just at that, though, but the fact that his  _soulmate_  would be as selfish as take him off the court for the  _second_  time that week. Storming away in irritation, the ravenette left the gym, full clad in his volleyball uniform, having the full intention to leave the school behind already and just go home.  
  
But he was stopped by seeing a lone soul that was in front of the main entrance, their back towards him.  
  
As he approached closer (considering it was the way he walked home, and he had to pass by them either way) he realized that the person was a  _girl_. The girl went to his school, he could tell considering the fact she was in the uniform, sans blazer. (Vanelope had, surprise, trashed it to the point where there wouldn't be a point of wearing it.)  
  
Small whimpers came from her as he stared at her [h/c] hair, as Kageyama walked up to her, and then around to face her completely.  
  
"Oi, why are you crying?" His gruff voice made you freeze for the second time that day, and you sniffled.  
  
With [e/c] eyes, you looked up, sparkling with tears. "K-Kageyama-kun?"   
  
"[L/N]?"   
  
He had recognized you from his old middle school, and he had seen you with Tsukishima and Yamaguchi a couple of times.  
  
"I-It's nice to see you again," you mumbled, eyeing the first year, before your eyes locked on his arm. "Y-Your arm _!_ K-Kageyama, d-do you--?"  
  
"What _?_  Ah, oh no, it's not me. It's my soulmate." His eyes flickered down to the ground. "I hope they're okay. I don't want them to suffer or... I wish I could do something."  
  
You clenched your fists tightly, not even remembering that you didn't have your jacket.  
  
"They're stupid," she said quietly. "They're hindering you f-from playing volleyball and hurting you in the proces-"  
  
You were once again cut off, as Tobio held up his hand.  
  
"[L/N], you have cuts on your arm," he said bluntly, and a wave of fear passed over you. You shuffled back a couple of steps, horror displayed on your face and in your [e/c] eyes. "Can I check something real quick?" He realized this was a totally inappropriate time to be asking, but he didn't back down, as he undid the bandaging his mother had done the night before. One glance at his arm, and then at yours, and he looked at you.  
  
"I-I-I'm so sorry, K-Kageyama---"  
  
And for the third time, you were cut off by him hugging you tightly.  
  
"Don't apologize."  
  
Kageyama's body trembled as he held you close, and you bit down on a sob, before wrapping your arms around him too.   
  
"I'm sorry I couldn't be there for you," he mumbled, burying himself in your [h/c] locks, as you sniffled, and pulled away slightly, just so you would be able to see his face.   
  
"Weren't you the one who said 'don't apologize'?" She asked, a small smile on her face, as tears streamed down her face, before locking onto his blue hues. He nodded, as tears sparkled in the corner of his eyes, before he took a shaky hand and ran it through your [h/l] [h/c] hair. And as both of you sniffled, your foreheads touched. "While we're busy not apologizing, I-I'm sorry I hurt you," she said, closing her eyes, and letting her tears fall down her face freely. "I'm the reason you c-can't play volleyball."  
  
"I'm the reason you're unhappy."  
  
"N-No you're not."  
  
He fell silent, before hugging you tightly again.  
  
"I'll be your glue," he mumbled into your hair, and while you were slightly confused, you nodded. Just because you found your soulmate doesn't mean things are going to magically get better, you knew better than that.  
  
But it was a start.  
  
\---  
  
_"I don't like seeing you sad...and my dad says glue fixes a lot of things...so I promise whenever you're broken, I'll fix you!" Kageyama proclaimed boldly, as you took the glue, shrugging lightly at his comment, as a blush crossed your cheeks._  
  
_"Okay."_  
  
**{e n d}**


	2. &&. errors

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> &&. the system is more flawed then you had expected it to be.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> aaaaand here's kei's part. this can be read alone but i wrote it with the intention of it being a spin-off/sequel/another point of view to hurt you. enjoy!!

\--  
  
 _Soulmate AU where whenever you get hurt, your soulmate gets hurt in the same place with the same pain. The only exception, is that if your soulmate dies, you will not. (and vice versa.)_  
  
 _\--_  
  


####  _From: [name]_

####  **_goodluck at volleyball practice!! i believe in u, u big tsun-tsun!_ **

  
When Kageyama had gotten hurt in practice, Kei had snickered like no tomorrow. The blood dripped down his face, making him look angrier, and while Yamguchi looked slightly concerned, Kei felt nothing towards him or his injury.   
  
"I wonder if the King can manage his soulmate being such a klutz!" He called out, his voice having a lilt in it to indicate teasing. While most of the team had been surrounding the younger setter, Kei stayed in his place with Yamaguchi by his side.  
  
"Hey, Tsukki..." The boy tugged on his uniform, as the blonde looked down at him.  
  
"What is it?"  
  
"You know you're bleeding from your forehead, right?" When the freckled boy mentioned it, it was then when he felt a sharp pain on his forehead. "Maybe you should go bandage it or something."  
  
"Shut up, Yamaguchi. I know that," he mumbled (although it was clear he  _didn't_ ), as he grabbed his bag and left silently through the back entrance in the gym.  
  
The tall middle blocker paced around near the entrance of the school. "I swear to god, if Kageyama is my..." It wouldn't make sense, though, he realized, making him trail off. He didn't get hurt by anything in particular; it just "magically" appeared. As well as it was for Kei. That wasn't  _possible_. A defeated sigh left his lips as he looked up at the sky, "How irritating..." Grabbing a handkerchief from his bag, he wiped away at his cut, not caring if it stung as he did so.  
  
Tsukishima continued to walk, as a good couple of meters away, something caught his eye. Kageyama and a girl with [h/c] length had sat on the ground, one seemingly having stumbled into the other. His vision wasn't the greatest, but he could hear her basically  _shout_  her apology to him before dashing off in a different direction.   
  
The blonde megane walked up to the setter, a smirk on his face. "Having a bit of trouble there?" A sly grin appeared on his face as he towered above the still sitting first year. "I'll see you tomorrow at practice," he said, begining to walk off towards his house. "King."  
  
"Oi, Tsukishima! Shut the hell up!"  
  
But at that point, the boy had already slipped his white headphones on, and started walking towards his house.  
  
\--  
  


####  **_From: [name]  
_** ** _yamaguchi told me what happened!! be careful and take care of yourself, kei, ily!!_**

  
"Kei, what happened to my dear baby brother?" Akiteru cooed out, practically shoving the taller boy into a seat at the table and taking out the medical kit. "Who do I need to kill?"  
  
Irritation was written all over his face at his brothers incessant need to  _care_  for himself, but he made no move to stop him. "It's not me. It was my..." Was it his soulmate? Kageyama's? Kei clenched his fists tightly in anger as the older brother dressed the wound with a bandaid and cleaned it. What the fuck had that meant? Two people getting the same injuries,  
  
but they weren't soulmates?  
  
"I'm going to bed." He mumbled the line under his breath, his brother barely catching onto it, as he babbled on uselessly.  
  
"Kei, what about dinner? And your homework?"  
  
"Not hungry; finished it."  
  
Kei began to walk towards the staircase, but his older brother caught him by the wrist.  
  
"Seriously, Kei, are you okay?"  
  


Looking him over with golden hues, he mumbles out an unconvincing, "Sure," before ripping his arm away from his brother and sprinting up the stairs into his room. 

He slammed his bag down onto his bed, partly in frustration, partly in anger, and something else he didn't want to admit to. Running a hand through his locks, he let out a sigh, before changing out of his uniform and into his dinosaur pajamas. And under any normal circumstance he would never wear it; [Name] had gotten it for him.

 

And [Name] was anything but normal.

 

The boy slipped into his bed, letting the comforter cover him completely as he turned off the nightstand light he didn't know he had turned on before. He plugged his phone into its charger, wincing at the loud sound it made and the bright light it emit. 

 

Kei knew he had homework to do, and he knew he was starving, but above all, he knew that if he tried to eat, he would just vomit it up.

 

What the hell was wrong with him? 

 

The first year cleared his throat and tried not to let tears start as he cleared his mind. 

 

Think, Kei, think.

 

Running a hand through his hair yet again, the boy stopped midway and grabbed onto a fistful of hair, before letting out a whimper. He had finally come to a conclusion in the few moments he had laid still in the dark.

 

There was always an error in every system; and this time it was him.

 

Biting down on his lip he let hot, angry tears of frustration roll down his cheeks as more realizations dawned upon him. He had no soulmate. He could never be together with someone he loved. Alone. He was a fuck up, a mistake. He shouldn't have been born.

 

A ring came from his cellphone, letting him know that he had gotten a text message.

 

####  _From: [name]  
_

####  _sleep well tonight!!_

 

Blushing ensued from there, and he put the phone back on his nightstand, before shutting his eyes.

 

\--

 

The tall middle blocker awoke to the sharp pain in his left arm, jolting him from his sleep. Something liquidy dripped down his arm and it made him shudder in horror as it did so. 

 

Immediately after Tsukishima clicked the light on, and ripped off his blanket in a haze of panicking.

 

Deep, red cuts were in his skin, as it chunks of skin had been forcibly cut out. 

 

Someone was hurting themselves---and while he didn't know if it was his soulmate---it was someone's.

 

"You dumbass," he hissed out, trying to pinch one of the gaping holes in his arms, before letting out a strangled sob of pain. "Ah, fuck!"

 

The blood dropped and dripped onto his bed, as Akiteru came stumbling in. 

 

"Kei?" His panic reduced to a neutral expression as he stormed up to the boy who had horizontal cuts up his left arm. "What...?" The words fell from his lips before he took his brother to the bathroom.

 

No words were exchanged between the two afterwards; Akiteru simply bandaged his arm tightly, trying not to look too much at the cuts that littered his arm.

It was Kei that broke the silence.

"I didn't do this to myself," he said flatly, and his brother closed his eyes for a moment, before shutting the medical kit with a satisfying 'click'.

"I know," he said quietly, putting his first aid kit away. "It's your soulmate."

He opened his mouth to interject; say what was wrong with him, explain that  _he probably didn't have one_. "Yeah."

"What I don't quite understand is the fact that you  _know_  that this is your soulmate...yet you don't even care." 

Kei's eyes widened, as he took his bandaged arm away from Akiteru. Just what the hell would he know anyways? A look of disgust as well as anger crossed his face as he looked down at his kneeling brother, trying not to look at the blood that had splattered on the floor. "Just what the hell would you know, huh, nii-san?" He snapped out bitterly. Maybe he was tired---no, that was a pathetic excuse. He was irritated with the fact that his brother was being so  _goddamned_ naive about the whole situation; acting as if nothing were wrong. "Whatever. Thanks. I'm going to bed." He stood up, running a hand through his hair before turning around in case hot tears of frusturation decided to grace him with their presence again.

The college student was clearly surprised by his younger brother's outburst, and he carefully grabbed the other blonde's (right) arm, so that he would turn around. "Kei...you can tell me anything, you know that, right?"

"'Kay." Emotions were lacking in his voice as he, once again, forcibly ripped his arm away from his brother. "It's late, Akiteru," his older brother straightened up at his language, when was the last time he called him Akiteru? "You should probably sleep."

Kei left the room without another word before he walked into the room, and slammed the door behind him. He looked at his left arm, the crimson blood that seeped through the gauze, as his fingers twitched to just...

undo them.

It wouldn't matter the result what happened. It's not like he had a soulmate, anybody that needed hi---

A flash of [h/c] hair went through his mind, her laugh, her smile, her  _hugs,_ oh god, no, he didn't want to leave. He didn't want to leave her alone, he didn't want to be without her, because [Name] was the only reason why he was here. He removed his right index finger from under the bandages----since when had he  _actually_  tried to unravel them---and clicked the light off, slipping under his blankets, letting darkness overtake him.

\---

####  **_From: [name]  
_** ** _hiiii, kei!! i hope u had a gr9 sleep last night bc u deserved it!!_**

  
While he appreciated the cute message you had sent to him, it did nothing to help him with his lack of sleep.

The next hour was robotic of some sort. Eat, get dressed, brush his teeth (even his hair? Kei brushes his hair?), and started walking to school. Maybe in that order, probably not, though.

As he walked down the halls of Karasuno---the boy had been so sleep deprived he didn't even notice he had arrived---a perky voice came from down the hall, in the opposite direction. Almost immediately, his right arm shot down to make sure the sleeve of his uniform covered his bandages. 

[Name]. A small smile came to his face, but he wiped it clean as he turned around to face her.

"Ah, Tsukki _!_ " She called out to the blonde megane, who blinked and said nothing, waiting for the [h/c] girl to catch up to him so they could walk to class together. "How was your sleep last night?"

As much as he hated to admit it, the fact that she cared for him warmed his heart. Just a tiny bit. When the question had finally sunk in, he closed his eyes for a brief moment, remembering the past events of the night before---the reason why he got no sleep. "That's a stupid question," he said, irritated with his own lack of sleep and flashbacks, "don't try and make conversation. It's too early, and it's a stupid topic."

A look of hurt crossed [Name]'s face, and an iron pipe immediately went through his heart. He should have really thought about his words before actually saying them aloud. "A-Ah, sorry. I hope you slept well, though," she muttered quietly, fiddling with her bag.

"I did. Thank you." He tried to make his voice flat; but he turned away so she wouldn't see the blush that  _she_ had caused him to have. "I hope you did as well," he mumbled under his breath as the two entered the class room. His golden hues drifted over her form for a bit, but he said nothing, continuing to walk to their seats.

"Of course I did!" The girl tucked a [s/m/l] [h/c] piece of hair behind her ear, before his golden eyes widened just slightly.

Bandages.

"[Name], what is this?" He slid said girl's sleeves down, a slight bit more, a neutral expression on his face. His hand intertwined with hers, and he could feel himself trembling. 

Oh god, no, [Name]. She was hurting herself, and he didn't notice, or do anything to stop her...what if this was all his fault? Just slightly, his grip tightened on her hand. 

  
"It's n-nothing," she mumbled out, trying to tug your hand away from his, tears budding in her eyes. Sharp pains continued to attack his heart to the point where it made it  _physically hurt_  to even let it beat further.  "It's n-nothing, Tsukki."  
  
"It doesn't look like nothing." His mind was jumbled, and he didn't even notice that the bandages were in the same place and on the same arm as his.   
  
"I said it was  _nothing,_  Kei!" Finally, she ripped her hand from his, ignoring the excruciating pain that shot up her arm as she did so. "Go take a seat." Her voice was void of emotion as she looked at him. "Class is about to start."  
  
It scared him. He wanted to help, to be there for the [h/c] girl, be there for her. Comfort h-  
  
"[Name]-"  
  
"Just leave it."  
  
The teacher had already walked in, and he had no other words to say because the teacher was already writing things on the board. He tried to take notes, but his hands were trembling too much for him to do so.  
  
And as the bell rang, he turned towards the girl, pain contorting his expression, but she was already gone.  
  
\---  
  
Tsukishima entered the gym ready to tell Ukai that he couldn't play for unspecified reasons, but as soon as he did, his golden hues locked onto the bandages on Kageyama's arm.  
  
They were similar to his.  
  
And he didn't know why he didn't notice this earlier---but they were similar o his. Too similar.  
  
Identical, even.  
  
The middle blocker dashed out of the gym as fast as possible. [Name]. He wasn't a screw up. He had [Name] and that's what mattered. Who gave a fuck about Kageyama and the seemingly identical bandaging?   
  
He needed to protect [Name] from hurting herself anymore.  
  
Even if she wasn't his soulmate---he still needed to. But in that moment, she was.  
  
The blonde blocker stumbled, landing on his left arm, sending excruciating pain up his arm as he tried to prop himself up. "Fuck..."  
  
It was a good couple of minutes it took for him to actually stand back up and wipe the tears of pain away.  
  
Picking his bag up, Kei continued his trek on trying to find [Name]. She was usually walking back home at this time.   
  
His is golden orbs traced the campus as he kept an eye out for a girl with [h/c] hair.  
  
It took a moment, but he found her!   
  
He started walking towards her, only to find her with Kageyama, intimate intertwined in some kind of hug.  
  
"Ah, Kei, guess what!" The girl had spotted him, and through tears she gave him a happy grin.  "I found him. The o-one, my soulmate." She hugged the ravenette setter tightly, as he hugged her back.  
  
Disbelief coursed through him as he saw [Name] hug Kageyama like she used to hug him. No, no, this was all wrong.  
  
He flashed a quick smile. "Congratulations, [Name]," he said flatly. "It sucks that you got stuck with the King as a soulmate, though," he said, chuckling lightly and putting his hands up shrugging. His jacket slipped up lightly, and the new found couple's eyes were immediately on the bandaging that showed.  
  
Kei gave a small wave goodbye to the both of them, the [h/c] girl went out to reach for her close friend.  
  
The person who stopped her was Kageyama.  
  
"Stop it, [Name]."  
  
"But he had---!"  
  
"I know." And for once, the setter gave a look of pity towards the middle blocker. "But at this point... He already knows his place," he said quietly, as the girl bit down on her lip.  
  
\--  
  


####  **_From: [Name] (draft)  
_** ** _hey Kei!!! I'm really sorry about earlier,,,, i didn't mean to hurt you in anyway with the bandages and stuff... I sincerely do hope you slept well though!! don't forget i love you so much and i would do anything for you, okay!! it's not your fault for the...you know...cutting. ill meet up with you after volleyball practice today so we can talk about it!! i love you so much again, okay!!?_**

  
_**{ e n d }** _


End file.
